Cleaning device.



C. L. SAUNDERS.

CLEANING DEVlCE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.8. 191a.

Patented June 18, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET C. L. SAUNDERS.

CLEANING DEVICE.

APPLICATION mso mm. i918.

Patented June 18, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

awuewtoz Momma/1 CECIL I. SAUNDERS, OF I'IHACA, NEW YORK.

CLEANING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 18, 1918.

Application filed April 8, 1918. Serial No. 227,301.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CECIL L. SAUNDERS, a citizen of the United States, residin at Ithaca, in the county of Tompkins and tate of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cleaning Devices, of which the following is a specificalion. 1

My invention relates in general to an apparatus for cleaning such materials as cotton, grain, wool, or other fibrous materials and articularly to a cotton-ginning device in w ich the separation of seeds from the fibers is effected by a combination of pneumatic and mechanical devices and is an improvement on the type of machine shown in U. S. Patent No. 849,141, granted to Story B. Ladd April 2, 1907, and my own prior ieatgent No. 1,075,304, patented October 7,

9 In both these prior patents means are described for pneumatically holding the fiber onto a moving perforated surface, the seeds being removed by coming into contact with knives or blades.

My present invention relates to improved means for removing the seeds and comprises a belt or like device or devices for bringing the cotton or other material to be cleaned intoproximity with the movin suction surface, such as a perforated rol or cylinder, in combination with a series of edges, which may take the form of a series of knife edges or be the edges of holes in a perforated .plate, the fibers being drawn over the edges by. the suction, while the seeds are held back by the edges and pushed or drawn along by the moving belt over the knives or perforated plate and thus removed from the field of the suction and discharged from the machine.

My invention has for further object to i provide means for removing the fiber from the perforated suction surface in an evenly laid and untangled condition; to remove motes and other undesirable material; and to provide other improvements in details of construction, as will more fully appear from the accompanying specification and claims.

4 Referring tothe drawin Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a portion of t ee hin r Fig. 2 is a detail view of one form of stripping-plate;

Fig. 3 is a cross-section showing the relative position of the suction surface, another form of stripping-plate, and the belt;

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the corrugated stripping-plate, shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of a modified form of machine;

Fig. 6 is a detail view on an enlarged scale of the stripping-plate, and ginning-blade used in the machine of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a modification in which the belt and suction surface move in relatively opposite directions;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of Fig. 7 the belt being removed; and

1Flg. 9 shows another form of strlppingate. Referring to Fig. 1, l is the perforated moving surface, which in this particular embodiment of the machine, takes the shape of a suction and blast cylinder or roller, which may be constructed as shown in the prior patents referred to. 2 is a perforated metal late secured at each end and having perorations therein of less size than the cottonseed, or the distance between the seeds. The plate is preferably made of sheet-steel and has a portion thereof bent to conform accurately to the curvature of the suction cylinder 1. This plate as shown is permanently secured in place, but may be so mounted as to have a reciprocating 0r rotary motion.

.4 is an endless belt passing around rollers 5, 6, and driven in the direction indicated by the arrows and at a linear velocity less than that of the perforated roller 1. Idler rolls 7, 7 may be used to hold the inner run of the belt into as close relation to the stripping-plate 2 as may be necessary. 3 is the hopper through which the cotton to be ginned is fed downwardly into the machine. 52 is a rotary comb to assist in the delivery of the cotto As shown, in Fig. 2, the perforated plate may be provided with long narrow slots 8; or as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, this perforated stripping-plate 20 may be corrugated, the belt 40 having cords or ridges extending into the corrugations. This belt may be made of fiber matting which has a rough v number having a prime mark.

"in-g either "stationary or or hairy surface to which the fiber attached to partly cleaned seeds will adhere, so that such seeds will be carriedbacktby the belt,

from which they may b'e-remov'ed by the rotary brush 53 or any other suitable means, and be again submitted to the ginning operation; or the belt-may be made 'of'eard clothing such as is used in carding machines; or may be of porpoise hide, or ofsmoother material, such asleather, metal,,etc.

' "In operation, the cotton to be cleaned is fed into the hopper tween the belt and stripping-plate. The suction :from'the cylinder 1, acting=through the perforations of the stripping-plate, sucks 'awaywthe dust and dirt through the per- *ofi by the blast from'the blast chamber.

The seedskheld aback by the edges :of the perforations in the plate 2 are carried-along the belt 4, the :seeds from which the i lint has been thoroughly removedad-ropping out, as shown by :the arrow O,-:While theseedS from which all the lint may not have been removed, adhere to the :rough or hairy surface 'of the belt and; are carried around'byit until they reach'the brush: 53, i-bywhich they are delivered to the incoming cotton 'rto be again treated.

111 themodifi'ed form of machine; ShQWIliiIl Fig.1'5, the parts corresponding to like *parts inFig. 1 are marked with acorresponding In this modified machine, the st :p'ping-plateQ extends over a portion of the suction cylinder but in the same relation thereto as 'heretofore -.lescribed. 'Either of theforms of :stripping-plate above referred to may be'used.

12 is -a"'ginning-blade having teeth 13, curved tofitthe contour of the -roller,andis mounted beneath the plate 2, this blade beprovided withsuitable reciprocal "means. 14 is aseed screen through which the seeds drop into a seed recepta'cle 15, which is "provided with any suitable delivery mechanism, such as an endless conveyer 16. As indicated i-n'dotted 'lli'nes, thesrollers '5 and 6 may, "be mounted so as to be adjusted with reference to the suction cylinder.

cotton, and f1 8ris a combing device "for removingjthe ginned lint gfroln the cylinder. This comber may be arrangedrt'o reciprocate int-he samemanner as'the comber ina "carding-machine,;thus removing any twist from the ginned fiber.

ndcarriedidownrbee ishoWn:'iI1-Frig: )1. The

p other series of'opening's. 17 1s amote board'for removing motes and "other material fromthe ginned f "spaced vent passage of the seeds 'thereunder,

In both the form of machine described, the removal of the cleaned fiber from the suctionportion of the cylinder is effected by *mechanical means,-the blast serving-mainly asa means for cleaning out the perforations; although the blast may, as in the prior paten'ts, be-used-whelly'or in part as the means for removing the fibrous material from the suction cylinder.

yTheoperation of the formlof machine shown in Fig. 5 is substantially-like that ginned fiber is carried around by the suction cylinder and removed by the comb'er: 18, iwh'i'le a'thelcseeds --separated from 'the fiber-by thetaction of the stripping-plate J2 and iginni-ng blade 1 12 ifa'll into the "receptacle :1*5. i

' Ineither .formof machine,:"the speed: "of the belt er and 41must be carefully:adjusted to'that 0f the suction oylinder, inia'ccordance with the materialbeing treated. In .prac- *tice, 1 have foundthat the ratiootbelt' speed to lineal velocity of :the icylinderliperiphery shonld rbe-ab'out Ito =36, although any other suitableratiormay be used. v 1

' In Eigti is shown afspeci-al formiof stripping-plate in which the openings, while :not

large enough -t 'permit paSsage ofithe seeds, 1

are "of such a'rea that these eds may rlproj'ect rtherethrough and come into actual: contact with the suction cyl-inder,thereby permitting a particularly eflective action of the suction.

In Fig.

:pr'es'sure-ibelt 4" moves in a contrary direction to tha-tof the suction surfae'e or cylinder -1. In this figure, I =haveIshoWn the hopper spreading teeth 61, arranged =asshown in As the belt 'forces'the the edges of the per- 7 is shown a machine substantially :like that sh' w V 1, .except that the board 60 as provided with {:bo'le opening or" *be cleaned is fed forations {(or the edgesof the-series -of k-nives) the fiberis sucked aw y from the seeds, at each edge. successively presented et'o clear portions. of "'thesuetioncylinder;

* The material is thus As --wi ll-b'e apparent, "the cleaning edges whichserve toseparate theseeds from' the fiber erflin't may be the edges o'f the openings in a perforated plate or wire screen or any Thus in '9, I

havershown-a series-ofimives having corru gated'edges to correspond to the-shape offit' he 'suctmnIcylinder, and arranged in spiral i'l ines, l the edges "of the-knives being "apart i a proper distance from a each other and from f the cy1inHersurfaceto, ;pre-

4 while the hut or fiber may readilybe earried along f face by the suction.

It will be evident that the various elements "ofmy machine may be modified Without departure. from my invention. Thus a rotating or'reciprocating perforated plate, provided with suction chambers might be substituted for the revolving perforated suction cylinder; or a series of rollers might be substituted for the endless pressure belts 4, 4; and other mechanically equivalent devices for feeding unginned cotton to and removing the ginned cotton from the suction cylinders, may be used.

WVhile my machine is particularly designed for ginning cotton, the principle of operation by which one ingredient is pneumatically held, while a second ingredient is separated therefrom, is manifestly capable of application in various other relations.

I claim 1. The combination With a moving perforated surface and means for producing suction therethrough, of a perforated stripping-plate arranged in proximity and conforming to said perforated surface, and means moving relatively to the erforated surface for pressing the material to be cleaned against the perforated plate.

2. The combination with a rotatable perforated cylinder and means for producing suction therethrough, of a perforated stripping-plate arranged in proximity to and conforming to the contour of said cylinder, and a belt constructed and arranged to move relatively to the perforated surface for press ing the material to be cleaned against the perforated stripping-plate.

3. The combination with a rotatable perforated cylinder and means for producing suction therethrough, of a perforated stripping-plate arranged in proximity to and conforming to the contour of said cylinder, and a belt having a surface to which fibers adhere and constructed and arranged to move relatively to the perforated surface for pressing the material to be cleaned against the perforated stripping-plate.

4. The combination with a moving perforated surface and means for producing suction therethrough, of a perforated stripping-plate arranged in proximity and conforming to said perforated surface, means moving relatively to the perforated surface for pressing the material to be cleaned against the perforated plate, and means for removing the cleaned material from the suc tion surface.

5. The combination with a rotatable perforated cylinder and means for producing suction therethrough, of a perforated plate having a portion arranged in proximity to and conforming to the contour of the rotatable cylinder, a movable pressure device for pressing the material to be cleaned against the perforated plate, and a ginningblade located below the perforated plate.

6. The combination with a moving perforated surface and means for producing suction therethrough, of a device having spaced edges arranged in proximity to the perforated surface, and means moving relatively to the perforated surface constructed and arranged to press the material to be cleaned against the spaced-edge device and to remove therefrom the material held back by the edges.

7. In a pneumatic cotton-gin, the combination with a moving perforated surface and means for producing suction therethrough, of a device having spaced edges arranged in proximity to the perforated surface, means moving relatively to the perforated surface constructed and arranged to press the cotton to be ginned against the spaced-edge device and to remove therefrom the seeds held back by the edges.

8. In a pneumatic cotton-gin, the combination with a moving perforated surfaceand means for producing suction therethrough, of a device having spaced edges arranged in proximity to the perforated surface, a belt moving relatively to the perforated surface constructed and arranged to press the cotton to be ginned against the spaced-edge device and to remove therefrom the seeds held back by the edges.

9. In a pneumatic cotton-gin, the combination with a moving perforated surface and. means for producing suction therethrough, 100 of a device having spaced edges arranged in proximity to the perforated surface, a belt moving relatively to the perforated surface constructed and arranged to press the cotton to be ginned against the spaced-edge device 105 and to remove therefrom the seeds held back by the edges, and means for delivering the cotton to the space between the belt and spaced-edge device.

10. The combination with a moving per- 110 forated surface and means for producing suction therethrough, of a perforated stripping-plate arranged in proximity and conforming to said perforated surface, means moving relatively to the perforated surface 115 for pressing the material to be cleaned against the perforated plate, and means for mechanically removing the lint cotton from the perforated surface.

11. The combination with a rotatable per- 12 forated cylinder and means for producing suction therethrough, of a perforated stripping-plate arranged in proximity to and conforming to the contour of said cylinder, a belt constructed and arranged to move 125 relatively to the perforated surface for press ing the material to be cleaned against the perforated stripping-plate, and means for mechanically removing the lint cotton from the perforated surface.

4: emm

I 12. The combination with a rotatable iperrelatively totheperforeted surfacefor pressforated cylinder and means for producing ing the material to be cleaned-against the suetion-therethrough, of vet perforated strlp- -perforated,'strippingp1ate, and means for 10 ping-plate arranged in proximity to and meehaniea1ly removing-the lint cottonfrom conforming to the contour of said cylinder, the perforated surface. a belt hav-mg a surface to whioh fibersiad- .Intestimqnywhereofl afiixrmysignature. here and constructed and .arrangedto move I V CECIL L. SAUNDERS.

copies of this patent maybe obtained iornflve eents each, by addressing the, Commissionerot Eatents,

ashin on, 

